President defends Notre Dame's actions in Elizabeth Seeberg case

The president of Noatre Dame, Rev. John I. Jenkins, has said that the Indiana university acted with integrity in handling the allegations of sexual misconduct against a football player by a St Mary’s College student who committed suicide.

Rev. Jenkins told the South Bend Tribune that the campus police conducted a “thorough and judicious investigation that followed the facts where they led.”

He said “I cannot stand by and allow the integrity of Notre Dame to be challenged so publicly…The values at issue go to the very heart of who and what we are at Notre Dame."

Prosecutor Michael Dvorak, of St. Jospeh County, announced on December 16 that his office will not be pursuing criminal charges.

Elizabeth Seeberg, a 19-year-old, student died on September 10. On August 31, Dvorak said, she accused a Notre Dame football player of touching her breast.

Her parents, Tom and Mary Seeberg, from Northbrook, Illinois, had criticized Notre Dame for how they handled the case. The couple told the Chicago Tribune that Notre Dame’s investigations into their daughter’s death had been superficial.

Speaking to ABC news Tom said “We spent a lot of time hoping they would live their values in this case…Live their values of sharing what they could about the investigation and live their values by trying to give Lizzy a voice in the University of Notre Dame disciplinary process."

According to Dvorak the case broke down due to inconsistencies in the statements from various people. He said “Conflicts exist among the witnesses' accounts of the events given to the police. Subpoenaed cell phone records are inconsistent with parts of the complaint itself.”

Rev. Jenkins has said that the player involved and a friend my face disciplinary action having sent Elizabeth a text message which read “Messing with Notre Dame football is a bad idea."